Folding bed



C. BURTON AND R. A. SHAW.

FOLDING BED.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22,1920.

PatentedNov. 30, 1920.

2 SHEETS-SHEET c. BURTON AND A. SHAW.

FOLDING BED.

APPLICATION FILED JULY 22.1920.

1,360,983 Patented NOV. 30, 1920.

I 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2- ga l .20 .15 f;

UNITED STATES f A- N OFFICE. T

CHARLES BURTON, or PADDINGTON, AND REGINALD ALBERT SHAW, or nosEvILLE,

NEW SOUTH TALES, AUSTRALIA.

FOLDING ED.

To all whom it may concern:

'Be it known that we, CHARLES BURTON, a subject of the King of. Great Britain and Ireland, residing at Goodhope street, Pad- 5 dington, in the State of ,New' South Wales, Commonwealth of Australia, mechanic, and REGINALD ALBERT SHAXWH. subject of the King of Great'Britainand Ireland, re-

siding at Warrimoo, Oliver Road, Roseville, 1n the. State aforesaid, architect, have invented certain new and useful Improve- 'ments in Foldin Beds, of which the fol-v lowing is a speci cation. 1

This invention has for 1ts mam ob ect fethe provision of a bedstead with attached wire mattress which when not required for.

use may be folded into a particularly small compass, thus economizing floor space, and also enabling the bedstead to be moved with comparative ease from one place to another without being dismantled. An-

other and correlatedobject is to provide a.

bedstead of the nature referred to, which may be folded without removal of the stuffed mattress and bedding and without those articles requiringto be strappedon or otherwise'secured. A third object of the invention v.is the production of a bedstead in which the wire mattress is automatically tensioned when the bedstead is extended and automatically relaxed when folded; A fourth object'cf the invention is a bedsteadwhich is foldable from either end. A further object of the invention is bedstead of-the nature referred to, in

formed being capable of being flexed upwardly and permitting the head and foot frames to be brought into comparatively close proximity. At the same time the'wire mattress is also upwardly flexed, said mattress not being supported on a' frame as is usual but suspended between transverse stretchers movable with the head and foot members.

leg under each side-rail and to which the V tiated" andthe head and foot frames caused "stead.

folded, and which the head and foot frames are, mainparallel planes under all condi- "showing the means for maintaining parallel Specification of Letters Patent. Patented NOV. 30, 1920. Application filed m 22, 1920. Serial 110,398,271;

= The invention also consists in so mounting the transverse stretchers for the wire mattress that the straightening of the siderails when extending the bedstead, tensions the wire mat-tress, while the flexing of the side-rails relaxes'said tension and permits the mattress to flex without undue strain.

The invention further consists in the provision of a centrally disposed supporting sections of same are pivoted, said legs bearing upon the floor when the bed is extended.

The invention further consists inthe provision of means as hereinafter described whereby the head and foot frames are maintained in parallel planes.

Theinventi n further consists in V p the provision of a winding roller and rope gear whereby the flexing of the side-rails is mito approach each otherinfolding the bed- The invention still further consists in such other details as will be apparent from the following description of the accompanying drawings which depict bedstead construction according to this invention, and in which, r

Figure 1 is a perspective view ofan ex tended bedstead the wire mattress being only partially shown in order not to obstruct the view of parts beneath, and

Fig. 2 aside elevation. Fig. 3 is a side elevation of the bed partly i Fig. 1 a similar view of the bed folded.

F ig. 5 isa side elevation in larger detail relationship of the headand foot frames;

" The bedstead comprises head and "foot im frames 10 and 11' respectively to. whichfare attached in known manner brackets 12.112.

-wardly curved and at 16 pivoted mutually andgto a vertical leg 17 The legs 17 17. are connected at their tops by atransverse'bar 18, while at a lower elevation isaroller 19 under which take ropes 20. 20. secured at 21* to the foot'frame 11, and at their other ends winding upon a roller 22 transversely dis posed between the brackets 12, 12. of the head frame 10 and terminally fitted at one or both ends with a removable handle 23.

Below the side-rail sectionsare tie rods 24. 24. pivotedto the brackets 12'. 12. and at to the central legs 17. 17. 7 Each tie rod is of equal effective length to its corresponding side-rail section, and the distance between the pivotal points '25 andlG is equal to the distance between the pivotal points of said tie rods and side-rail sections on the brackets 12. 12. Each side-rail section, corresponding tie rod, leg 17 and bracket 12 thus constitute in effect a parallelogram, and the four parallelograms so formed are ofequal proportions.

By rotating the roller 22 in a direction to wind up the ropes 20. 20. an upward strain is put upon roller 19, the first effect being to upwardly flex the side-rails and'cause the foot frame to approach the head frame. When the side rails have sufficiently flexed and the roller 19 has risen sufficiently for the ropes 20. 20. to assume a straight line no further upward pressure is exerted on said 'roller 19.- Further closure of the bedstead is now continued by turning the roller 22,

the direct pull of the ropesdrawing the end frames together into the position shown'in Fig. 4. It is however to'be distinctly understood that rope gear and rollers are not an essential feature of the-invention, as if the side rails are initially fiexedby manual effort, the foot frame may afterward be pushed toward the head frame and the complete closure effected in that manner.

It is also to be understood, although referencehas been made to the foot frame as the movable one, while the other is fixed, that either orboth frames may be movable, and

any suitable known means such as c'hocks, brackets, hooks or the like engaging any a propriate and convenient fixture may e employed to secure that frame which it is not desired shall move.

For the proper and smooth working of the bedstead it is desirable thatthe head and foot frames should be maintained at all times in parallel relationship. When the bedstead is extended, this is effected by the side-rails and tie-rods 2 1. 2 1., but when these latter elements are not in straight line position, the angles between the side-rail sections and the central leg should be equal at all times but not constant. To maintain this equality of angles, the mechanism most clearly illustrated in Fig. 5, is employed on each side of the bedstead. This mechanism comprises a slide-plate 26 slidable in a guide 27 affixed to the leg 17, said slide plate having a slot 28 which embraces pivot pin 25,

and a pair of oppositely disposed links 29.

29. of equal length pivoted to said slide plate and respectively to the side-rail sections .13 and 14. As the side-rails flex, the

slideplate moves longitudinally toward thefoot of leg 17, and the links 29. 29. being of equal length maintain equality of the angles between the leg 17 and side-railsections 14 and 13, and-insure the maintenance of parallel relationship between the head frame, 7 Y

foot frame and legs 17. 17..

I Thewire mattress 30 is secured at each end to transverse stretchers 31. 31. attached by 'eyebolts '32. 32. to bell-crank levers-33. 33), pivoted in brackets 12. 12. The other ends of said bell-crank levers are (when the bedstead is extended) engaged by and up wardly' pressed bythe overhanging ends 34:. 34. of the side-rail sections, the stretchers -31. 31. being moved toward thehead and foot frames respectively, andthe wire mattress thus tensioned. When however 'the side-rails are flexed, the pressure of the side-rail sections on said bell crank levers is released and the tension on themattress 30 relaxed, thuspermitting the latter to curve easil over the flexed side rails as shown in *ig. 4,. and also relieving it of strain when not in'use.

As shown in Fig. 4 a stuffed mattress 36 need not be removed when folding the-bed. stead, as same together withother bedding,

i. (2. sheets and blankets,-may be folded and accommodated within the folded bed. Y

What we claimand desire'to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a bedstead comprising head and foot frames, articulateside rails and a1 supporting leg under each side rail, a mattress attached at each end to transverse stretchers carried on cranked levers pivoted on the brackets attached to the head and foot frames, said levers being so disposed and arranged that when the bed is extended the side-rails contact with-said levers and actuate them totension said mattress, said tension being relaxed when the side-"rails are flexed.

2. In a folding bedstead of the type side-rails beingcapable of flexing upwardly and permitting the head and footframes to be brought into closeproximity, meansfor scribedand illustrated.

3. In a bedstead comprising head and foot frames articulate side rails and a supporting leg under each slde ra1l',;means for initiating the upward flexing of the rail s'ecwherein. each side-rail is in two sections I. mutually pivoted at their meeting ends to a central leg and at their other ends to'the head and foot frames respectively, said .-rail' sections, substantially as herein detions and for folding the bed, comprising flexible connection taking under said guide a Winding drum rotatably mounted at one roller which is at a lower elevation than the end of the bedstead, means for rotating said ends of said connection. 10 drum, a flexible connection between said v Signed at Sydney, this fifteenth day of drum and the other end of the bedstead; and June, A. D. 1920. A

a guide roller supported between the central CHARLES BURTON.

legs which support the side rail section, said REGINALD ALBERT SHAW. 

